Habs’ Price won’t be ready to face Bruins (Video)

Carey Price, who has been sidelined since the end of the Olympics with a lower-body injury, was on the ice working on his lateral movement with goalie coach Stephane Waite and then took shots from his teammates near the end of practice. While Price is progressing, he’s still listed as day-to-day and won’t face the Bruins. Coach Michel Therrien didn’t say who would get the start in goal against Boston. The Canadiens are 3-3-1 since Price was sidelined with the injury.

“Carey is making progress,” Therrien told reporters after practice. “He had a good day today, and we’ll see at the end of the week where he’s at.”

After Wednesday’s game, the Canadiens next play against the Ottawa Senators Saturday night at the Bell Centre, followed by a game in Buffalo Sunday night against the Sabres.

Brandon Prust, who has fully recovered from an upper-body injury, took part in Tuesday’s practice and will face the Bruins, while Michael Bournival, who is recovering from a concussion, was still wearing a non-contact jersey. Defenceman Douglas Murray took a therapy day.

Francis Bouillon will play against the Bruins with Therrien saying he would announce the rest of his lineup on game day.

The Canadiens practised at the Bell Centre Tuesday instead of Brossard because the official team photo was taken before practice.

Thomas Vanek, acquired at last Wednesday’s trade deadline, was on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta and also practised on the first power-play unit with David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty.

“It’s going to take a while to adjust, but again the more you can practise and talk to the guys and your linemates,” Vanek told reporters about adjusting to his new teammates. “Working on the power play is going to help out everyone I think, so today is a good day.”

“I don’t prepare any different. It’s just another game, really,” he added. “They’re a good team and you’ve got to be ready. The last four or five years, Boston has been one of the better teams in the league and you want to play your best against the best teams.”

The Canadiens beat the Bruins in their first two meetings this season and have won five straight overall.

Always considered MT to be a useless boob & his insistence on keeping an offensive threat like Vanek with Pleks & Gio proves my point. Success or not this season, I can’t wait to see his sorry ass out of this organization. If I never see that ugly mug again, it will be too soon.

I was thinking about teams that would possibly be a fit for the Sedins. I came up with Washington, Ottawa, Edmonton, and mayyyybe Montreal (to a much, much lesser extent)

Is it possible for the Sedins to be traded to wsh in a package for Backstrom (pick up Laich to have $$ coming back) Spezza in Otw is about the same age.. And Edm has to do something, but that would be getting much older and tons of cash.

We will never get the best out of Vanek with him playing with Pleks and Gio. No trust in the young’ uns. No use putting my two cents in on the line combinations, since somebody would have already listed them below. And no doubt, they would probably make more sense than what Therrien’s going do. Stubborn he is….

Price is not playing until next week!
So I hope they put the kid, Tokarski in nets for tomorrow nights game instead of Budaj.
I am taking my son to the game and after to Hurley’s. Hope I see some HIO faces, I owe Punkster a pint!
See ya there.!

I actually much prefer Bouillon with Subban than on the third pairing with Murray where he has struggled. He has the mobility to support Subban properly and he won’t get in as much trouble with Subban as he did with Murray. Bouillon has played some great games with Subban so I hope he can fill in until Gorges is healthy.

Therrien is being very stubborn sticking with the Markov-Emelin pairing, yet he has no patience for players like Briere. I would have tried Tiny with Markov, but we’ll see how it goes.

I’m a little surprised that Tokarski is still with the big club. He has played relatively well for an AHL goalie that was called up. I just wonder why not swap him and Dubnyk. In a time of year where every point counts in the final push to the playoffs, I think I would go with the one that has more NHL experience. 173 vs 9 games experience… There are no guarantees, but I just think I would do it if I was the GM (unless it’s a cap situation thing, I am not sure how much salary the Preds took on in the trade.)

A quick thought on Markov. Lets assume that MB signs him to a 3 year 5.75 M contract. And decides that next year at the trade deadline he sends him on his way. Does he have more value then with 2 more years to go or would he have had more value this year with no guarantee for this years buyer he would extend with them. Obviously he must have an equally good year next season to justify any market value.

I don’t get the whole “we cannot break up Patch-DD-Gally trio, they are our only productive line” argument. The whole issue right now is that the only time we win games is when these three produce (which is far from every game – they tend to score in bunches). We need to spread out scoring, if we can create two lines capable of scoring most nights (even one goal per line) and add a powerplay goal, at the least we should be scoring 3 per game and winning a lot more often! I really think we need to load up;

Its not like this trio is operating at some incredible level (ala Toronto’s top line – no one wants to hear ) … they are OUR best line, but really that’s not saying much. We should be scoring A LOT more given our depth than we are.

Im trying to state that I hear ‘this line cant be split up’ so much, apparently b/c they are successful, but I don’t really agree. I could see the justification in not splitting up the leafs top line, but absolutely don’t see the justification in not splitting up ours, its not like they are winning us games singlehandedly (I do give them credit they’ve been our best, but its not anything that is untouchable)

The only reason I am suggesting breaking up that top trio is b/c I think each of our top 3 centers NEEDS to have ONE linemate they are consistently with and work well with. The other spots of the top three lines can be filled in as appropriate.

By process of elimination we are automatically presented with;

Patch – DD –
– Plek – Gionta

Since MT will not use Galchenyuk as a centerman yet, that leaves Eller and Briere (who has had more success at wing than Eller). That leaves;

Crying again Cal? Did you change your diapers?
True colors come out of you when the team is struggling.
Chill out pops, we all know we need to get BIG AND BETTER to compete, not with very weak small forwards and very weak D.
Even if Price were healthy, he is no Roy of 1986 or 1993.

Eller is a fine player, who has struggled lately with tough penalties, and giveaways.

You probably would have said the exact same thing seeing DD on top in November??? If he was given an extended chance with better linemates, why shouldn’t Eller be given the same opportunity? I think he actually has a higher ceiling.

Honestly, i think it has a lot to do with him being much more suited for a bottom 6 role than DD.. Who in my opinion would be disastrous in a 3rd line role, Eller can hold his own…. When he’s on his game…

Also, would any of this have to do with it being a contract year for Eller? It seems sadistic, but could the team be holding him back a little this season in hopes of signing him to a 2-4 year deal ‘on the cheap’ this off season?

I suppose its possible (they are holding him back intentionally). Given the amount of times the we have heard MT and MB mention how it will be a battle to get to the play-offs and that they are committed to imporving on last year etc… I find it hard to believe that they wouldn’t want everyone firing on all cylinders from here on out… TO be honest Eller could put up 20 points in his last 16 games and probably wouldn’t be looking at a massive raise at this point.

Love your first power play line.. I don’t understand the problem with having a PP line that doesn’t play 5-5 together.. Your suggested line is pretty much the 5 most productive guys we can throw out there.. Follow up with DD Patch Gio.. Have Plek with 4th line wingers to play the first shift after the PP…

The only thing I don’t like about the first line is that Eller has never been known to distribute the puck that well, and both Gallagher and Vanek play similar styles when it comes to crashing the net.

With the likelihood of the Habs not being in the Stanley Cup semifinals even, the hockey fan has to decide which team to support, or more correctly, which team to cheer against. Most of us go with our gut, but this is 2014, the era of analytics. So to help us all I’ve come up with the official Dipsy Score, a scientific measure of how despicable each franchise is. Higher score means more odious.

There are four subscales:

1. History of Tanking (10pts): did the team lose deliberately for years in order to build their talent pool? Did they just have a single bad season that allowed them to get a franchise player? Or have they always played with pride?

2. Franchise in General (10pts): the fans, the media, upper management. Are they that bad or are they just good people who happen to cheer/work for the wrong team?

3. Players and Coaches (10pts): How individually despicable are they?

4. Ownership (10pts): This is to account for hateful behavior of the ownership group not included in #2. For example is the owner, in their spare time, an awful person in ways that have nothing to do with hockey?

Boston Bruins
HoT: 1/10. They really haven’t tanked, and their last poor finish got them Phil Kessel.
FiG: 9/10. Not a 10 because there’s always the possibility of worse, even if only theoretical.
P&C: 9/10. Chara, Lucic, Julien. Need I go on? They never tried to sign Matt Cooke is about the only positive here.
Own: 8/10. Just read this.
DS: 27

Toronto Maple Leafs
HoT: 3/10. They can’t even manage that correctly.
FiG: 8/10. Most Leafs fans are OK. They’re like us except they happen to cheer for the Leafs. But then they count among their fans this guy, these hosers, this dweeb, and this once proud corporation.
P&C: 3/10. And that’s only because of Colton Orr.
Own: 4/10. And only because of Rogers’ outrageous roaming fees.
DS: 18.

I would suggest you create sub categories for your subscales.
For instance, if we’re talking about our Habs, and you bring up …. say…. point #3.
A true Habs fan might answer (for coaches) 3-4/10 depending on how patient we choose to be.
But a troll-supposed-Habs fan will answer 10/10, looking to solicit talk of tanking.
Which brings me to point #1 …. it’s getting too complicated. I give up.

I like Bergevin and support his overall vision. Although there are bumps along the way, I think we are headed in the right direction. My greatest concern however is that Bergevin is a player’s GM. He was a player. He places a great deal of trust in his players and is loyal – perhaps to a fault. This can be very good when it comes to players wanting to play for him, but it could also be bad in that he might be unwilling to go in a new direction, or cut ties with an established player, even at the end of their career.

Of the deals he has made, he seems to show a willingness to place value in players who other’s might consider in the twilight of their careers. Extending Frankie, signing Briere, holding onto Gionta and Markov. These might all end up being great decisions. Maybe its my age, maybe its my lack of understanding of knowledge of the business, but the decisions regarding players 35+ leaves me with the biggest question mark, thus far, during Bergevin’s tenure.

I really liked our last two drafts under Bergevin. I liked that the team showed confidence in Galley, Chucky, Bournival and now Tinordi. I also understand that a team is built on chemistry and you need a composition of both young and established players. Maybe my point is not valid, but if there was one constructive criticism I could offer our GM, it would be to lessen the ties with our 35+ crowd.

It would have looked bad to trade Gio and Markov as the team was pretty firmly in the playoffs race, it sends a pretty negative message I think.

But other than that, he has not yet committed to Gio and Markov.
I’ll give you that Brière was puzzling though.
Same for Bouillon.

Summer free agency will show us how he proceeds forward.
I won’t mind if Gio signs elsewhere, but the team will need to get a UFA right winger, or make a trade for one.

As for Markov, I think he still has a place if he is willing to sign on short term, but maybe he could be replaced internally if the kids are given a chance.
That’s a gamble though, but I guess signing Markov would be one too.

Briere and Bouillon were head scratchers for sure. I’m guessing he held onto Ginota because he wanted to take a shot at making some noise in the playoffs. I’m guessing he’ll just let him walk this summer.

With the rate players were going for last week I doubt we would have got anything good for him. So keeping him for a bit more firepower in the playoffs makes sense even if it means losing him for nothing.

To be fair, he might end up being justified on all moves. I would not have let Markov go for nothing. I don’t mind keeping the General, but I hope we don’t lock into a deal with term. As Hobbie has said, I will wait until the offseason. I have a feeling that there are moves ahead as he will want to put his stamp on the team.

Detroit has had a lot of success with older players. There is probably some moneyball value with them as most teams prefer to go with youth. It’s all about finding players who can fill a team need. The problem with Briere is that he doesn’t really fit anywhere in the roster right now rather than his age.

Agreed CJ. If were looking to sign a UFA or if were giving up anything of value in a trade, wed be better off long term if the return player/s was still in his 20’s . MB says he wants to stop the revolving door. The only acception id say would be if we knew a vet still had gas left in the tank and was willing to sign for cheap/shortterm (Jagr)

Vanek Plekanec Gionta aint gonna fly. So Boring.
How bout Vanek Galchenyuk Briere and Eller Plekanec Gionta. That is of course assuming we have to keep Gallagher on the line he is on cuz
Vanek Galchenyuk Gallagher would be the most fun.
Tokarski should get the start.

Perlini up to #6. So, it looks my longshot hopes of having him as a Hab prospect to cheer on next season are kaput.
Was speaking to a NYR scout last game about him. He was looking for the ability to make finesse moves in tight spaces. Really interesting. They know he’s got the NHL shot and the NHL skating, so it was cool to hear what kind of things they look for at this point.

Time to change your handle from “cautiousoptimist” to “consideredpessimist”.

Beaulieu was sent down so he could keep playing throughout the Olympics. According to some who follow the Bulldogs closely, he sulked like a puppy and his play reflected that. He has to learn to be a pro, and not some entitled teenager.

Now that makes sense! That I agree with. You’d have to pretty much revamp all the lines but the statement is true. I could see Gallagher jamming pucks at the net that cause rebounds and Vanek swatting them home.

Thank you Olympics and thank you Carey Price. People what is with the love affair with Price????? He has won one lousy series!!!! No Vezina’s either. Wake Up fellow Hab Fans. Say goodbye to the playoffs and hello to dicking around on the golf course oh yeah! We would not get out of the first round even if we were in the playoffs.

He has 12 goals and 20 points in 25 games in the Swedish Elite League. Pro-rated he’d have 44 points (26 goals) – good enough for 4th overall in the entire league, and by far the top defenceman. The other top scorers are all veterans.

I watched him during the All Star game. He is amazing, offensively, but has some major holes defensively. The bigger question, does he want to play here? He was very outspoken about Hamilton. I hope it hasn’t affected his impression of the organization.

Hopefully Budashe can finally reinstall some faith back into the team, coach, GM fans and hockeyinsideout community……and the best way to do that is with a solid 3-0 donut statement in everyones face tomorrow night. Thinking bouillon is in for tinordi, although wouldn’t be terribly upset if it was emelin. Prust is in with weezy and who? Moen (who I didn’t see listed in the lines) or whitey?

Frankie, for as much as I loved him hammering Tucker all over the ice, and even, more recently pounding Ott last year following his run at Galley, should not be part of our top six.

I may not agree with the forward lines, but I understand the logic and think they will get worked out. Further, I think Price will come back, but only when 100% healthy and will regain his form.

I just don’t think we can win with the current composition of defencemen. I should no longer wonder what has partially impacted PK this season. I need not look further then the revolving door he has had on his left side. So much as a point is often made about Pleks having a revolving door on his wing, PK can’t seem to find a steady partner.

Also there is the factor that we have only 4 callups between now and end of season, so is using a callup being judicious? I think Frankie is done in Montreal after this year, but for one game I think he will leave it all on the ice.

Emelin has no NHL playoff experience. None. Weaver has a total of 11 games.

Last season the Bruins graduated Torey Krug with a total of ONE game of regular season experience. He had a great playoffs.

Beaulieu is better then Frankie. All that I ask for is to ice the best possible players. IMO, Beaulieu is better then Frankie. Personally, I think he is also better than Weaver and Emelin, but that’s another story.

Mattay, with Tiny filling in for Gorges (or ‘Jeorges’, as I like to spell it), I’m actually okay with two rookies in the lineup. It’s not ideal, I’ll grant you that, but I feel like we’re better off with them than either of Bouillon, Weaver, or… uh, Bouillon.

Is there another tucker shot that I’ve missed? The greatest tucker hit that I remember was from kovalev when he did a full circle inside the leaf zone came down the boards, left the puck and absolutely devastated tucker with a scott stevensesque type hit. It was magical. Tell me if i’m wrong.

The Price stuff is getting worrying.He’s been playing so well this year and as he goes,so does the team.The habs are only 6 points up on a playoff position and another losing skid will see the team on the outside. The Leafs are up to their old winning shenanigans again and the teams we are competing with are playing well so nothing is guaranteed.

Glad to hear Carey is taking his time to fully recover; a little pissed that he played in the Olympics with the injury, however, they had a pretty good no. 2 there that would have likely had the same result, no need for him to play.

As for 55 coming back tonight … sigh … besides, that’s not even a hockey number, let’s get real.

I’ve been quietly watching because Therrien knows what he’s doing. But if I were coaching, Eller Galchenyuk, and Vanek would be together. Eller is always first to the puck, hits, and has speed. Galchenyuk has slick hands, playmaker, and a sniper in the making, and Vanek is a proven goal scorer.

Eller has been playing with has beens all season. Fact, when playing with Galchenyuk and Gallagher he was productive.

Fact, when playing with Bourque, Moen, Prust, Eller hasn’t done anything and how can he when all the above have hands of stone.

Fact, Bourque, Moen, Prust hasn’t done anything this season. They should be playing defensive hockey, not players who have shown that they can produce.

Eller had 13 points in the first 21 games of the season before the EGG line was broken up. 6 of those points were in the first 3 games and 3 points were in game 18 vs the Islanders. In the other 17 of those EGG line games he had 4 points and was a minus player.

Eller had a few great games early in the season, but perhaps some folks remember his EGG salad days as being better over all than they really were?

5 QUESTIONS:
1. Was Price’s Olympic win worth it – even if he’s out for a couple more games?
2. If you could make a line for Vanek, what would it be?
(Keep in mind these are your RW options: Gionta, Gallagher, Bourque, Weise)
3. Should the Habs try to resign Gionta?
4. If they don’t, which current Hab is the best new Captain?
5. After 82 games, who finishes ahead in points – Toronto or Montreal?

1- absolutely yes !
2- unfortunately Gio-Plex-Vanek….it will take some time for them to gel…..but with that said…egg line should be reunited and I dunno what to do with our favourite couple of dd and max ? Add Briere, Bourque Prust ?
3-nope
4-PK…..but it won’t happen? So Plex I guess.
5-great question ! I think us, but I really fear them if we were to play them in a series, which I predict will happen this year !

1) For Price it was worth it, it also shows that he would probably do that for the Habs if we were to make a deep run, for us at this rate its still worth it but if Price is out longer then it probably won’t be the same.
2) Could always try Vanek on a line with Patches and have Vanek on the right, if not try Eller, or Chucky mid with either Gally or Gionta
3)I like Gionta he represents this team well and he has great defensive skill, but his offense has seen better days and if we can get a young goal scoring, or point getting winger, I’d rather let him go.
4) Prust, Plek, or Gorges
5) If we get Price back soon I say the Habs if not well I rather not think about it.

1. It was good for Price, for Canada and for the Canadiens and it’s fanbase.
2. Any line without Plekanec or Gionta. Eller centering preferred.
3. No way he’s not worth it. I don’t buy the leader crap either. Like Gomez, he’s past his time.
4. Pacioretty.
5. I don’t know, with MT’s bizarre line change logic, who knows.
6. Yes they should get rid of MT. Someone who will respect the younger players and not destroy them.

2: Why did you leave out Eller? My line is Vanek (LW) Eller and Briere.. you can put them c/rw or reverse… should still work. If you read my answer though..really why did you ignore Eller and/or Briere?

Re: your 4th question (a good one), trying to answer that exposes a key issue within the team, lack of fearless/tough/dominant/character/effective leadership. I respect Plekanec as an intelligent and effective two-way player but in my opinion any team he ever captains in the NHL playoffs ain’t winning a Stanley Cup. Same with Pacioretty. They play passively when the going gets tough. I’d also prefer, if possible, to have a captain bigger than 5″7 for the first time in 13+ years. Size and physical grit/toughness isn’t everything, but it matters to win in the playoffs (unless you have a stacked team of highly skilled all-stars, which we don’t).

Re: Beaulieu’s “bad attitude.” I remember a few years back Patches said that he had no interest in coming up to the big club to play limited 4th line minutes when he could be advancing his career by tearing up the AHL. People we’re surprised, but mostly impressed for sticking up for himself.

True. And full credit to Max for not acting like he was “above” playing in the AHL, and for recognizing that he needed playing time on a scoring line in order to prove his worth.

Beaulieu’s attitude, in comparison, seems to be that he’s wasting his time in the AHL and is too good to be slumming it there. Which is most likely true–it’s just really unflattering and is the kind of thing which irks a management team obsessed with the notion of “character”.

I think the team is suffering for not having Beaulieu right now, and both sides are to blame.

Agree. But you could argue that a “team player” does whatever managment tells him to do, including cooling your blades on the 4th line along with the other 4th liners. But that all aside, I never got why Beaulieu was sent back down.

That goal was a total back breaker. And its the type of goal that is hard for a team to overcome especially with teams that do not score much. If he’s in he needs to be solid throughout at least the first.

On these types of radar videos there is normally no left-right movement. What equally intriguing is the radar shot of the other plane? travelling at 4 X 5 times the speed of the other jests. Who knows maybe its a cover up for a military mission or a mission gone bad?

In fact, it’s exactly what I would do. Sit down with Eller, explain the role, encourage him, and then give him a shot at proving that he can do it for a few games. Not 1 period. Not 1 game. But stick with it for 5 games.

Paz, I’d say that MT has certainly been willing to let Eller assume as much of a defensive role as he’s willing to. Eller plays on the PK and doesn’t seem to be benched when games get tight or they are defending the lead.

I like the look of the third line, hopefully it gets Eller going.
We all know the DD line is producing, so that’s good.
The second line looks pretty good too – much talk about how it is a shutdown line – sure, it is, but it can also score goals. Looks pretty good with Pleks, Vanek, and Gio – Pleks is a great playmaker and can score, Vanek is a scorer, and Gio has declined but still works really hard and is very reliable at both ends.
If these lines can mesh and have chemistry, then we can roll with them for the rest of the year.

I’m not sure how trying to insult me contributes to your argument (“you can’t see leadership from your basement”)… or that you have one. But perhaps you could explain why you think Gionta is such a good leader instead of just being an ass.

Gionta himself says he’s a ‘leader by example’ not by what he says. I don’t see a lot of that leadership and especially as his skills decline, there’s less of an example to see. You rarely hear players saying what a good leader he is. In interviews I don’t get a strong sense of that leadership. What I am saying (and several people agreed) is that I don’t SEE IT. If you have some examples of how you HAVE seen it lately, I’m all ears.

Intangibles like those are important. But you could say the same of Ryan White. I just don’t think that’s enough.

But it’s also because when Gionta does speak I don’t hear “captain”. I never have. For me those character guys who become Captains have a certain toughness or grit when they speak.. that Gionta doesn’t have. My opinion anyway.

And Dog, you’ve been around the block enough (and peed on enough hydrants along the way) to know that what the guy says to the media means squat when it comes to being a leader. The captain isn’t the leader of the media hacks, he’s the leader of the team in the locker-room.

I’m just saying I don’t see or feel the kind of leadership that I think a team needs at this level. I just don’t get it. I see it in Plekanec. I see it in Patches. I see it in different ways in Markov and in Subban and Prust. I don’t see it in Gionta. Of course we don’t see everything – we don’t see a lot. I just don’t see it at all. Never did though… but when he was productive I could see at least that.

I think the best evidence of Gionta’s leadership is how the team responded after the player’s only meeting. That meeting would have been called by Gionta as captain and after it the team picked up its game and went 5-1-1

I am disappointed to see Vanek still on the Plekanec line. They have shown zero chemistry so far and I see no reason to suspect any difference tomorrow. They simply to do not think the game the same way. Theirren really has no clue offensively. I really hope I’m wrong and they click after some practices but I seriously doubt it. Gionta and Plekanec have not clicked offensively either and they have been kept together for two years so I guess I’m crazy for expecting anything different. It’s just frustrating as a fan to see so many offensive options available to the coach and so little creative or inspired thinking.

I’d also like to know what’s going on with Beaulieu. They really need him in the lineup especially with Gorges injured. There has to be some tolerance for a young man to be immature, you know he’ll grow out of it eventually. There is no substitute for talent and he has lots of it. If it is an attitude problem, maybe hanging around pros is the best cure, let Crankshaft keep him in line.

Exactly, like I was saying below Vanek is a complete waste on that line. People on here seem to forget how successful the EGG line was before Therrien broke it up to get DD going. DD and Max are in their own little world together, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other wing. Just seeing Chucky and Gally on the ice for a shift in overtime you can see the chemistry they have. I’m not sure why at the end of the last game Therrien had Vanek on the DD line and reunited the EGG line if only to go back to the same lines for tomorrow. Then again I don’t understand a lot of things Therrien does…

Either that or Therrien needs to put together a new shut-down line and free up the Pleks line to create more offense. What bothers me is that I don’t see Gionta winning pucks or fighting along the boards. I’d rather Eller be there or someone young with energy.

Hey Luke, I had quite a treat on Sunday. My buddy organized a limo for us to go to the Sabres game on Sunday and we picked up a special buddy to join us at the game, whom you being a Niagara fellow would know well. Mr. Steve Ludzik, what a tremendous gentlemen he is, had some great chats with him. He is a huge fan of our Asst. GM Rick Dudley and he also played with MB for 5 years in Chicago.

He is fighting the good fight against Parkinsons Disease, this summer I am going to be golfing in one of his tournaments that he does as part of his Celebrity Roasts, and this summer the Roast will be for Phil Esposito, should be quite the day.

I’ve seen Ludzik a few times at the Icedogs games. He usually stands not far from us. He was there with Rick Vaive a few games ago. He seems like a really pleasant man, always has plenty of time for the folks who come by to say hello. I wish him all the best.

Him and Vaive are tight, I met both of them the week before at my buddies bar, Vaive was supposed to join us but was unable. As soon as I know more details about the tourney I will let you know. If you are interested, i can perhaps see about getting you in a foursome with me.

Supports what TSN690 said. I dont think it was so much him ‘working’ on lateral movement but keeping loosing while avoiding further aggravavtion by not ‘trying’ up and down movement right now. Still he’s on the ice and practising .. but seems playing it safe now.

I give up! I simply give up!
I dont care re the retorts “so you know more than ______”; “how many games have you coached in the nhl??”.

I just have to cry UNCLE!

MB gets Briere for 2 yrs. MB gets Vanek for 2 mths! HABS can’t score worth a lick 5 on 5. We are 16 games away from the playoffs.

We have historical evidence that PLEKS is not a playoff SCORER! We have 2 yrs of evidence that Gionta’s ability as a goalscorer (heck even a shooter) has physically diminished.

So we put Vanek with Plekanec and Gionta.
And with 4 weeks to go we don’t know what the FFFFF to do with our big UFA (top 6 forward… as envisioned by MT himself at season’s start) acquisition…. he’s here for next year too folks.

UNCLE UNCLE UNCLE!!!

We better pray that PRICE IS RIGHT!!! And even if he is, we better hope that we dont see a repeat of last year’s playoffs where our summary after each game went like this….

a) we made Anderson look good.
b) We outshot them.
c) Lucky bounces.

All to cover up our sucktitude re scoring at important moments…even 5 on 3!!!

Did they even play on the same line?
Vanek and Danny B that is.
Cause what I heard was that they played on different lines while on the Sabres.
And even if they did, that’s at least 7 years away.
I don’t buy that chemistry thing between them.

Thing is, Pleky gets alot of ES strength because the team needs him to, there’s no other line in the lineup that can take his workload.

But what I dislike is that it’s always said to be a shutdown line, which is only partly true, they do shutdown opposition, but as a top line they also produce scoring chances.
Or at least they should.
That’s why having Vanek there make sense, it does not spoil the lines role, but it gives them more to produce with.

Instead of having a lazy Bourque, they get Vanek, it does not spoil the lines ability to play a shut down game, but it gives them more tools to produce when they are i the o-zone.

Brière is more confounding, but that’s something that should have been discussed between MB and MT before the acquisition.

what I really like about Briere is that he has been put through the ringers this season placed on 4th line regularly, healthy scratch and has been a complete pro about it no complaining whatsoever he could have become a complete distraction but hasn’t which has garnered a ton respect from me and my hockey buddies, hopefully most of HIO as well, on top of being a good teammate when he has been given a real shot as a center in a scoring position he has proved he still has juice in the tank,

I posted much of the same frustration just above you. My optimism is fading to apathy. I just pray they light it up against the Bruins but I seriously doubt it. Like Hitchcock said at the Olympics, if there is zero chemistry between players, it isn’t suddenly going to appear, you have to try something else.

I think Bournival can compensate for Gio’s out put and then some. Maybe not in the same league experience wise or in leadership but definitely a faster bigger and soon to be more skilled player on the ice.
Who knows how long it will take De LaRose and Sven to make the NHL but it should be soon and in the top6

I like Bournival and I think there is a role for him to fill in the NHL, but I’m not convinced it’s as a top 6 forward. He had a great energetic burst to begin the season with the Habs scoring 11 points and a + 6 in his first 20 games. After that he managed 2 points and a -11 in 30 games prior to being concussed.

Sadly, I agree completely. In all honesty, given how he plays the game, you are likely to see this same story repeated over the duration of his contract. I love Prust. At 100% he is a great player and would be a welcome addition to any team. What we have watched over the past two months is clearly someone who is hurt.

I just hope he is not coming back prematurely. I know, for him to return to 100% he would likely need a few months of solid recovery and rehabilitation. I hope he is at least 95% right now. Otherwise, keep him off the ice.

Gionta would have scorred 25 goals last year if it were a full season and scored closed to 30 the two years before. He’s off that pace this year but that could easily change with Vanek on his line. Plekanec is on his way to yet another 20-25 goal season.

I think Vanek is going to get plenty of opportunity to score on that line.

Good point. Just keep in mind, previous success has no bearing on this season. Gionta still has value, which is why he would be in the lineup, with Pleks, in a checking role to be used in tight situations. I just don’t see the offensive numbers improving. Sorry to be so candid, but I would rather latch my chances to our most gifted player, Chucky.

I agree. I’d rather Vanek with the most offensively gifted players so they can dangle together. But hey, Therrien has the team in a good spot, he’s the expert, so I’m willing to give anything he does a chance. That’s just me, I know most here hate his guts.

I don’t mind the coach. Its easy to question his moves from the comfort of the couch, but he is making decisions based on significantly more information then I have. I say clearly more information, because, based on play, I can not – for the life of me – figure out how Emelin is in the four right now over Beaulieu.

Honestly, I just want to win. I could care less who the coach is. If they produce the desired results, they are fine by me.

Perhaps in theory and only if the opposing team is coached by a buffoon like Therrien… but since there is only one Therrien your theory is just that. In reality it is this line that will be kept in check, and dare I say with a very little effort from the opposition.

Vanek is a scorer;
Gionta is a scorer (kind of);
Plekanec is a two-way forward.

That line needs a playmaker. Someone who is creative and can pass the puck. Plekanec is effective but is far from a creative player. I realize that there are limitations in term of where guys can play (i.e. Galchenyuk is not suited to RW, Vanek wants to play LW), and you need to give a line a chance to succeed, but I don’t see this as a good trio.

Put Briere on the RW with Plekanec and Vanek and see what happens. Let Gionta skate with Eller and Galchenyuk.

If we’re going to use Chucky as winger, wouldn’t it be nice to play him with Plecs and Vanek? He’s an offensive guy. Plecs as an elite defensive guy and Vanek has been around long enough to be “responsible”.

It’s a job well done kind of thing, they don’t fight because they are angry, but because they figure it might spark their team mates, and having fought usually means the coach is easier on you, as you’ve “sacrificied” for the team.

Yeah, but I just don’t see how one team is ‘sparked’ more than the other.
I get the rationale behind it, but I dislike it immensely because I don’t believe the rationale is justified by any kind of tangible result.

I’d hate to take my little girl to a hockey game and have her watch that kind of nonsense.

I said that they figure it sparks their team, if it actually does anything, well I would say it’s a grey area.
Some players could react and play with more energy.
Others might feel it’s annoying that 2 bit thug gets TOI, while they sit on the bench…

Talk about staged fights…
Number 28 Joel Theriault is a piece of work. I used to go to games in that Quebec Senior League ~15 years ago, he was one of the many heavyweights. He’s 37 now, was drafted by the Caps in 1995
In 2003-04 he had 515 PIMs in 39 games.
Had run-ins with the law, and he did some UFC/MMA….

Sorry I had to post and run on the last thread. Call it drive-by posting.

I don’t have a problem with Vanek. Two games is a ridiculously small sample size. The overwhelming evidence of his career stats tells us he’s a legit scorer.

I don’t see MT using the players to their optimal talents. I had the same issue with The Count. To paraphrase Al Arbor commenting on Mike Bossy, “I can teach any pick to play defense. I can’t teach a player to score 50 goals.”

Coaches today tend to take the easy way out – playing players in defensive roles, relying on goaltending and willing to win (or lose) in OT and shootouts.

The thing is – and I say this as poor guy – Molson doesn’t NEED the money. HE has lots. The arena is full. Fans buy the team’s stuff. Rights fees are at record highs.

Even if we don’t make the playoffs, the Habs make money.

Obviously, getting into the playoffs and winning a round or two adds to the bottom line. I’ve read about $1m per home playoff date.

But, if a team were to play an aggressive style (HUGE IF)… and could make a long Cup run and vault themselves into the league’s elite by being contrarian, then they would make MORE money.

MB proved that scoring assets can be had cheaper than defensive ones.

Borrowing a page from the Steelers playbook – they turned to a 3-4 defense because they could choose good, big DEs who run block and ideal OLBs for the 3-4 in the lower in the lower rounds. All the other teams focused on the same type of player and drafted lesser players too early. The Steelers developed a new system at the pro level based on the value and availability of certain types of players.

Maybe we could have picked up Molson, Vanek, Cammy and Gabs for a collection of seconds, thirds and middling prospects. Go to town playing a wide-open style and let Price hold down the force a la Grant Fuhr.

Matty me thinks you are jumping to conclusions, he will find a line and he will score and all will be well.

You cannot compare the Islanders and their talent (4 stanley cups) with the Canadiens, still building something. Of course you are thinner and you have to play a more team oriented game leaning toward the defensive end of things.

Happens in every league every where, you work with what you have and try to spread things around so that you cover up for your deficiencies. Ole Scotty never had these problems nor did Toe in there 5 in a row. Cournyonia had a real difficult time with Toe, trying to be a regular. Scotty could bench you and put you in the stands on a whim because he had another guy anxious to get there chance.

The only forwards worth keeping in the top – 6 are …
Pacioretty, Desharnais, Gallagher, Plekanec, Galchenyuk and Vanek if we can sign him Gionta maybe for the 3rd line the rest is deadwood and this team will never be any better by keeping them. we have to upgrade the bottom – 6 or this team is gonna be like this for years to come. Right now it’s a big question mark if we are gonna make the playoffs or not. If we keep playing the way we have been playing the last couple of games. we’ll become a wild card and than it’s anybody’s ….

Work cut out for him, but then you say 5 out of 6 are already signed for the top 6, and then list 2 that are with the team that could take that spot.

And what needs upgrading in the bottom 6 trios?
I like White and Eller where they are, of course Eller could produce more, but this is a down year production wise for most every forward.
Moen, Prust, Weise are all pretty reliable at what they do.
So get a tough guy to replace Parros, maybe, should not be too hard.

I guess it goes to show how little I know about the game. Based on what I’ve been watching, I don’t see how Emelin deserves to be in our top 6 right now, let alone our bottom four.

Obviously there is something going on behind the scenes as I thought Beaulieu, based entirely on his play, earned a chance to stay with this team. I understand the value of experience, especially at this time of year, but keep in mind, Emelin has NEVER played a game in the playoffs, while Weaver has a grand total of 11 games experience.

Torey Krug played ONE (1) regular season game last year before joining the Bruins and playing very well in the post season.

Jesus christ… You can’t take a top talent in the league who’s been playing with Tavares and Okposo all season, put him with Pleks and Gio and expect him to produce. It is actaully a disgrace, I hope MB steps in and sets MT straight.

Hope?
What hope?
You say that pairing Vanek with Plekanec is a disgrace, and I think you must be joking.
Plekanec is an amazing setup guy, and an incredible reader of play.
Last time Pleks was paired with someone of quality, it was Kovy, and they were amazing together.
Come on…

I gotta be honest Matty, I feel pretty close to the same way. I wouldn’t suggest that its a disgrace, but IMO, Vanek will not reach his full potential with Gionta on his line. Is there something I have missed this season regarding the Captain that you are seeing?

Look, I don’t have an issue with Pleks, but Gionta, I’m not seeing it.

Okay well now that I see what you’re saying yes it is a joke. Have you taken a look at Pleks stats recently? 35 points in 66 games so far this season. Tavares had 66 in 59 games… there is no comparison. Yea he put up 70 points (once) while playing on the top line with top minutes. He is most effective in a shutdown role and seems to be connected at the hip with Gionta (who is also way past his best before date). Putting Vanek on a line with these guys is a complete waste. These guys should be on our third line and Vanek on our first.

1) Comparing Plekanec to Tavares is like comparing Eller to Staal. So I wouldn’t go any further down that road.
b) Plekanec has been a shutdown guy for us recently, but only has 2 fewer points than our #1 centre, with significantly weaker wingers.
iii) Why in heaven’s name would anyone consider removing Gally from line #1? That is the only line that is producing with regularity! Leave that intact, and build a second strong line. Perhaps Chucky with Pleks and Vanek, but leave that top line alone!

Perhaps Bergevin’s perception of his D men is that they must be in his image as a player, that is to say a mediocre defenseman. I cannot see any value in Beaulieu being in Hamilton. Not the way he played the last time he was up. I love the team, the tradition etc, but I do not like the lack of quality player development I’ve seen here over the past what, at least 20 years.

My take is good players can fall into a slump. Good coaches try to work with these players and help they play out of it, especially if they are playing on their wrong side and coming off a serious knee operation.

Good coaches try to plot progress and show loyalty if the effort is there. There seems to be a lack of understanding of how teams operate.

A general rule is not to have to many rookies in the lineup at one time. This to me is common sense, playoffs everything is racheted up and getting exposed is not wise.

He will be host…..a host. When they show Canadiens on RDS are the talking heads not Montreal supporters. Some of those guys in Toronto only do Toronto Maple leaf games. Some guys are homers and some guys prefer to keep it to themselves.

I know practice lines may mean little, as things change all the time, but you would think as this is the first practice since the trade deadline that they would use it and make Vanek practice with whoever he is starting the game with. It will then have a trickle effect on rest of the lines.

I know we added a player, but still it is somewhat sad that we still don’t have set lines. The only one has been DD’s which now may have Vanek on it. The rest of the lines have been constantly switching. Really is Briere and Bourque and Eller would be performing somewhere close to where they are expected too, we wouldn’t have this mess. You can’t go into playoffs still with no set line!

Speaking of you and Front I just recieved a report from Atlantic City in regards to the Chrisadiens Bachelor Party. Seems things got a little crazy. Don’t know any details but apparently security was involved.

I’m thinking you and Front would be proud of the young whipper snappers!

My trick coming back from Ireland was to always put a bit more on the declaration form than I was allowed, so that they’d think I was being honest. They wouldn’t tax me for it, and they wouldn’t find the other six bottles of Jamieson in my luggage.

That’s funny!
When we took our cruise, Lisa didn’t want to pay $50 for an average bottle of wine.
So she smuggled multiple bottles and a wine bad in her suitcase.
They delivered my bag to our room by 10am, but hadn’t delivered hers by supper.
She was cursing her best friend (on the cruise with us, who had suggested the smuggling) up and down until the knock on the door.
“Cruise police!” I piped up.
She opened the door to the polite concierge who delivered her bag.
I laughed at the relief on her face. It’s not very often that she tells me to go ___ myself.

Gionta might be getting older, his biceps are not the same and his production is certainly suffering.
That said, most every forwards on the Habs is having a terrible year production wise.
And if he is not re-signed, Habs will have to look a free agency for a replacement, as there is just no one on the farm that looks to be able to jump into a top 6 NHL role.

Agree with you Shiram…but my first post didn’t post so here I go again…

Gio is our captain, good on PK, can still score about 20/yr

It’s ok to let him go if you can replace that. I too would love a new, younger, bigger goal scorer for that 2 line (outside of Vanek). But we don’t have that in AHL. WE don’t have that on the team (Briere, Bourque can not replace Gio on the 2 line next year).

So options are:
a. loose Gio and what he brings without replacing it

b. sign 2 ufas (Vanek plus someone to replace Gio) where in the world will we have the cap? Cause Gio replacement will cost more then Gio

c. trade an asset to try and land a replacement

I think Gio can be resigned for 2 yrs at $3M cap hit. Do you think he’ll really get more then that on open market at his age?

I can’t understand why not, and I’ve been dying to see Pateryn play… but with 16 games left and a playoff spot not clinched, it isn’t time to give rookies a further tryout… unless they rotate him in for Tinordi?

Except Emelin has never played an NHL postseason game in his career. Not one. Mike Weaver has played 11. Tinordi has more postseason experience then the two combined.

Beaulieu and Pateryn both have more recent postseason experience, albeit not in the NHL.

I never like jumping to conclusions, but if the team is allegedly upset with Beaulieu and doesn’t like his attitude, why not trade him for something of value. Keeping the kid in Hamilton is not going to improve his stock. Just my two cents….

Gionta might be getting older, his biceps are not the same and his production is certainly suffering.
That said, most every forwards on the Habs is having a terrible year production wise.
And if he is not re-signed, Habs will have to look a free agency for a replacement, as there is just no one on the farm that looks to be able to jump into a top 6 NHL role.

Yup. Gotta love the drive these guys have, perhaps a big part of why they have attained the level of success they have. May indeed be nuts, but I completely understand. In my limited life of sports, when you get that adrenaline running, hard to say no to playing.